Nuclear Legacy

"There is 10 thousand tons of nuclear waste on Earth." Many scientist are
in search for new and efficient ways to dispose of these lethal by-products
which can destroy life itself. Radioactive products can be either beneficial or
devastating. It all depends on how we use them. In the field of medicine, some
benefit from radiation include, radiation therapy for cancer patients. Not all
uses of radiation prove to be beneficial. Many use the power of the atom for
destructive purposes, introducing an age of nuclear warfare. It doesn't matter
if we use radiation for good or bad purposes, they all contribute to the growing
rate of "unwanted nuclear waste." The issue now is, how do we ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?Join Essayworld today to view this entire essayand over 50,000 other term papers

only way for us to dispose the devastation we had longed to create. In 1986,
the decision for a nuclear waste depositary proved to be "the most frightening
decision of the decade." Of these sites, three were chosen to be the "most
suitable" for the disposal of nuclear by-products. These three sites consisted
of Hanford, Washington; Yuka Mountain, Nevada; and Defsmith, Texas.
Hanford, Washington is a low populated U.S. city, and is owned by the
Department of Energy. A low populated city is an ideal site for radioactive
disposal. Although the city of Hanford is sparsely populated, geologists fear
the possibility of a nuclear seepage into the Colombia river. The Columbia
River is an important factor for the U.S. production of wheat. "This makes it
the worst of site," says the geologist. If the Colombia River is contaminated
with nuclear waste, it will lead to the contamination of land surrounding the
large body of water, thus making land unusable. Radioactive contamination ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.Write better papers. Get better grades.